| The world in a grain: The story of sand and how It transformed civilization by Vince BeiserWhat it is: the story of sand. (Yes, sand.)
Why you should read it: From concrete to glass to computer chips, sand is the "literal foundation of modern civilization."
Fun fact: Due to increasing demand and dwindling supply, there now exists a black market for sand, run by ruthless sand cartels who control the supply to industry. |
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Far from land: The mysterious lives of seabirds by Michael BrookeThe lives and activities of seabirds as you've never seen them before. Seabirds evoke the spirit of the earth's wildest places. They spend large portions of their lives at sea, often far from land, and nest on beautiful and remote islands that humans rarely visit.
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Atlas of a lost world: Travels in ice age America
by Craig Childs
In a blend of science and personal narrative that takes readers on a fascinating journey through prehistory, the author of Apocalyptic Planet, chronicling the last millennia of the Ice Age and tracing the First People in North America, shows how much has changed since the time of mammoth hunters, and also what hasn't changed.
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A naturalist at large: The best essays of Bernd Heinrich by Bernd HeinrichA critically acclaimed scientist and best-selling author presents a collection of essays, spanning 30 years, that serve as an engaging record of a life spent in close observation of the natural world, one that has yielded to extraordinary insight and discoveries.
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| The disordered mind: What unusual brains tell us about ourselves by Eric R. KandelWhat it's about: Bridging psychology and neuroscience, this illuminating book reveals what we can learn about human cognition by studying brain disorders.
Includes: discussions of autism, mood disorders, schizophrenia, dementia, PTSD, and addiction, to name just a few.
About the author: Eric R. Kandel is a Nobel Prize-winning neuroscientist. |
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| The tangled tree: A radical new history of life by David QuammenWhat it's about: molecular phylogenetics, which uses biopolymers (DNA, RNA, and proteins) to study the evolutionary history of organisms and determine relationships between species.
Contains: three "big surprises" that will make you rethink your understanding of evolution: the domain of Archaea, the process of horizontal gene transfer, and a probable ancestor of humans previously unknown to science. |
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| Accessory to war: The unspoken alliance between astrophysics and the military by Neil deGrasse Tyson and Avis LangWhat it is: a thought-provoking examination of the long-standing relationship between science and the military-industrial complex, with a special focus on astrophysics and the aerospace industry.
Who it's for: readers interested in the intersection of science, industry, and politics; anyone who wonders what the proposed U.S. Space Force might look like.
Author alert: Well-known astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson teams up with longtime editor and frequent collaborator Avis Lang for this eye-opening book. |
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| The songs of trees: Stories from nature's great connectors by David George HaskellWhat it is: a fascinating literary tour of 12 trees from all over the world, ranging from a Callery pear in New York City to a ceibo tree in the Amazon rainforest.
About the author: David George Haskell is a professor of biology and environmental studies, as well as a Pulitzer Prize finalist for The Forest Unseen. |
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The long, long life of trees by Fiona J StaffordSince the beginnings of history trees have served humankind in countless useful ways, but our relationship with trees has many dimensions beyond mere practicality. Trees are so entwined with human experience that diverse species have inspired their own stories, myths, songs, poems, paintings, and spiritual meanings. Some have achieved status as religious, cultural, or national symbols. In this beautifully illustrated volume Fiona Stafford offers intimate, detailed explorations of seventeen common trees, from ash and apple to pine, oak, cypress, and willow.
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Trees of New York City by Benjamin SwettNew York City, once a lush and verdant group of forested islands, is still home to a rich collection of diverse tree species, each with a story to tell about the city's past. This gorgeous book by naturalist and photographer Benjamin Swett offers stunning colour photographs, personal narratives, and fascinating historical observations about a select few of the thousands of trees that thrive in the New York Botanical Garden
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| Secret life of treesby Colin TudgeWhat it's about: There are an estimated 60,000 species of tree worldwide. But what are these organisms, exactly? A British biologist explains -- and the answer isn't as straightforward as it appears.
Why you might like it: Author Colin Tudge distills an enormous amount of information into an accessible introduction to all things arboreal. |
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| The hidden life of trees: What they feel, how they communicate: Discoveries from a secret world by Peter Wohlleben; translated by Jane BillinghurstDid you know? Trees have families and friends, memories, sophisticated communication systems, and even the ability to feel pain.
Why you might like it: Without sacrificing scientific accuracy, author Peter Wohlleben enchants readers with combination of lyrical vignettes and anecdotes about his experiences as a forester in Germany. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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